New York reload

noun

The act of drawing a second handgun when the first jams or runs out of ammunition, rather than reloading the first, in order to gain a speed advantage.

Meanings

nounNew York reload (plural New York reloads)

plural New York reloads

  1. The act of drawing a second handgun when the first jams or runs out of ammunition, rather than reloading the first, in order to gain a speed advantage.

    The fastest reload is another loaded gun: The New York Reload.

    2006, Patrick Sweeney, The Gun Digest Book Of The 1911: A Complete Look At The Use, Care & Repair of the 1911 Pistol, Volume 2, Gun Digest, →ISBN, page 143
    3 more examples

    The fastest revolver reload is a second revolver, a.k.a. "the New York reload."

    2002, Ed Lovette, The Snubby Revolver: The ECQ, Backup, and Concealed Carry Standard, Paladin Press, →ISBN, page 51

    And handling a long gun is out, so the drill is to drop or holster the first handgun, and do a New York Reload.

    2004, Patrick Sweeney, Gun Digest Book of Smith & Wesson, Gun Digest, →ISBN, page 117

    First, they may be the fastest reload for an empty primary gun—the so-called "New York reload."

    2008 July 8, Steve Denney, “Short, But Still Sweet: Lessons from the 'Snubby Summit,'”, in Officer.com, archived from the original on 25 Jan 2022

Origin

* From New York City Police Department officers carrying a backup revolver rather than an unwieldy speed loader.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

New York reload. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/New%20York%20reload

MLA

“New York reload.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/New%20York%20reload. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “New York reload,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/New%20York%20reload.

Source: New York reload on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.